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Yesterday, we were happy to see the Level Playing Field Institute‘s new report, ”The Voice of Nonprofit Talent: Perceptions of Diversity in the Workplace” get top billing in the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s daily update.

Please check out this timely piece by our colleagues at Kapor Enterprises and its implications for building, sustaining and growing diverse organizations.

Here’s a small excerpt to get you started …

Across the nonprofit sector, most employers share the belief that racial diversity is a key component of organizational health, performance, and outcomes. Yet, according to today’s nonprofit talent, few organizations are doing enough to attract and retain professionals of color. There is a perceived gap between the intentions and actions of nonprofit organizations when it comes to promoting staff diversity.

A common perception held by nonprofit professionals is that their employers value diversity, but that those values are not being translated into actions resulting in the creation of diverse and inclusive workplaces. For organizations seeking to increase the racial diversity of their staff, or retain their current employees of color, the ineffectiveness of mere “good intentions” around issues of diversity and inclusiveness presents a looming problem. Download the full report.

Harsh rain and wild wind were not enough to stop the first annual Black & Proud to Be College Bound conference. 180-plus tenacious students and parents from across the Bay Area made the trek to San Francisco State University to take part in the conference.  The day kicked off with the world-premiere of “Rebound: Get Yours” The Justin Davis Story, an 8 minute biopic that illustrates the importance of obtaining a college degree.  The video set the tone for what the day was all about.

The morning plenary continued with words from the board of the Mitchell Kapor Foundation, Mitchell Kapor and Freada Kapor Klein, Ph. D.  They shared their sentiments on the importance of the conference and their decision to invest specifically in the area of young black males.   Conference participants then heard from Dr. Kenneth Montiero, Dean of the College of Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University, Walter Robinson, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Director of Admissions at University of California, Berkeley, and lastly, Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, Speaker pro Tempore.  Collectively, the speakers emphasized the importance of developing self-awareness, striving for success, and building a cohort of peers that will support, encourage, and work with you to become college-ready.

The morning was followed by several engaging workshops, ranging from obtaining financial aid to the role education plays in developing and maintaining  successful career. Participants reconvened in the afternoon for a raffling of gift cards and two Flip cameras.  The event ended with the CEO of the Mitchell Kapor Foundation, Cedric Brown,  reiterating the important messages from the morning speakers and asking each young man to sign a pledge (see below) committing themselves to becoming college-ready. It was truly an epic day!

COLLEGE BOUND BROTHERHOOD PLEDGE

I am Black and proud to be college bound.
I pledge to join the 1000 other brothers on the pathway to college.
I will be focused and determined, courageous and tenacious.
I pledge to set goals that I will not only reach but surpass.
I pledge not to procrastinate when there is work to be done.
I will find and use resources that will help me to be prepared.
I will follow these values in my pursuit of higher education and
other opportunities of a lifetime.

(Written by young men from Bay Area high schools)

photo source: Derek Lassiter

I love my job.  I work with an amazing and diverse lot of social justice-oriented, thoughtful, socially-conscious colleagues.  Never before have I worked in a place that allowed for both a recognition of Black History Month and a celebration of the rich culture and contributions made by black people in America.  Last Monday, the different entities that make up the Kapor Center at 543 Howard came together to enjoy some great soul food and to participate in an open-mic lunch event where staff of all backgrounds read excerpts of their favorite works by African Americans.  We had quite a variety of works represented, including an original work from our CEO, Cedric Brown, and another original piece by Trevor Parham, our Creative Director.  I wanted to share the wonderful list of pieces from the open mic with all of you.

Books & Poems

• Beloved – Toni Morrison
• Invisible Man – Ralph Ellison
• Ardella – Langston Hughes
• Let America Be America Again – Langston Hughes
• To Die for the People – Huey Newton
• Michael Jackson Shining – Trevor Parham & Unity Lewis
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings – Maya Angelou
• The Sparrow - Paul Robeson
• We Shall Overcome – Dr. Martin Luther King
• Poem for South African Women – June Jordan
• Letter from Hajj – Malcolm X (Al Malik El-Shabazz)
• Their Eyes Were Watching God – Zora Neale Hurston
• Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing – James Weldon Johnson

Quotable Quotes

Believe in the power of truth… Do not allow your mind to be imprisoned by majority thinking. Remember that the limits of science are not the limits of imagination.
- Dr. Patricia E. Bath

I don’t measure America by its achievement but by its potential.
- U.S. Representative Shirley Chisholm

I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton’s Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. I’ve gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world’s poorest nations. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners – an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.
- President Barack Obama

Hard-working people, and poor, most of them, in worldly goods–but how rich in compassion! How filled with the goodness of humanity and the spiritual steel forged by centuries of oppression! There was the honest joy of laughter in these homes, folk-wit and story, hearty appetites for life as for the nourishing greens and black-eyed peas and cornmeal bread they shared with me. Here in this little hemmed-in world where home must be theatre and concert hall and social center, there was a warmth of song. Songs of love and longing, songs of trials and triumphs, deep-flowing rivers and rollicking brooks, hymn-song and ragtime ballad, gospels and blues, and the healing comfort to be found in the illimitable sorrow of the spirituals.
- Paul Robeson

Image source: freshexpress.com

This past Wednesday I had the honor of meeting with Oakland Mayor Jean Quan to hear about her administrative priorities and to examine how the City and the philanthropic community might work together. This gathering was organized and hosted by Quinn Delaney of the Akonadi Foundation, Nicole Taylor of East Bay Community Foundation, and James Head of the San Francisco Foundation. They invited senior staff from ten or so local foundations and philanthropic entities who make grant and program investments in Oakland.  While preparing for the meeting, I was pleased (and a little surprised) to find that over the past four years the Kapor Foundation made about $2 million in grants to Oakland-based nonprofits, many of whom are our key partner organizations.  This track record is important to us, as we want to be an appropriate and useful contributor to our future home community.

In her presentation, Mayor Quan highlighted the priorities outlined in the New Dreams, New Ways plan for the city, focusing on three in particular: transparent and efficient government; city and school district alignment and support of the most “at-risk” youth; and neighborhood safety. She acknowledged the complex challenges of implementing this agenda in the city’s current fiscal and political climate, but seemed completely undaunted by those potential barriers and prepared to move thoughtfully and determinedly ahead.

I was probably most impressed by the way Mayor Quan connected her personal journey as a social justice activist to her plans for governance. It was quite clear that she deeply loves and is committed to the city of Oakland. Most of the attendees, in our introductions to one another, also expressed a great appreciation for Oakland as an already-vibrant community with great potential. I left the meeting hopeful that as the government, business, philanthropic and nonprofit sectors continue to work together, we can bring about the changes and growth that the Mayor envisions. Go Oaktown! Go Oaktown!

This is another reminder about the Kapor Foundation’s first ever Grant Application Workshop that we will host at our offices (543 Howard Street, 5th Floor, San Francisco) next Tuesday, January 11, 2011, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. This is an opportunity for current grant recipients and other interested nonprofit organizations to learn more about our grantmaking strategies for Green Access and Voting Integrity and Civic Engagement.  It’s also a chance for current grant recipients, particularly key partner organizations, to find out how to access various additional supports, including some new opportunities, as part of our Assistance & Advising program.

I’ve received some inquiries as to whether or not this is a mandatory meeting for our current grant recipients, and the answer is no.  If you have the time and staff (any and all staff are welcome to attend) who are interested in attending, then we welcome you.  All you need to do is to register by clicking HERE.  I hope to see many of you next Tuesday!

All of us at the Kapor Foundation send best wishes to you and yours for a peaceful holiday season. We are thankful to collaborate with such dedicated community partners and philanthropic peers. Let’s continue to work together for justice and fairness in the New Year.

(Photo from redandwhitesf.com)

Do you want to energize your staff about revenue solutions instead of worrying about local and state budget cuts?

Are you wondering what Prop 25 and other election issues will mean for the goals and resources of your nonprofit?

Kim Klein of Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training, in collaboration with CompassPoint and the Building Movement Project, offers a FREE training on what nonprofits can do about the California budget crisis.

Show Me the Money! is a fast paced workshop offered at no cost for nonprofit organizations in California seeking ways to talk about the state and local budget crisis and key income solutions.  This two-hour workshop can help your organization to thoughtfully consider and participate in policy solutions by helping staff form their own opinions about the role of public funding and taxes. Request A Training Now.

A trainer will present at your workplace for a gathering of 10 or more people. You can also host other nonprofits in a larger session or join a webinar.

Click HERE for more information about the workshop and the California Budget Crisis.